Review of Good Books for Bad Children, written by Beth Kephart, illustrated by Chloe Bristol

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Good Books for Bad Children

The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom

written by Beth Kephart
illustrated by Chloe Bristol

anne schwartz books, 2023. 44 pages.
Review written October 26, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

Good Books for Bad Children is a picture book biography of one of the giants of children’s literature — Ursula Nordstrom, the editor behind hundreds of classics.

The book begins with some spreads about her lonely childhood, early fondness for books, and time in boarding school. Then she couldn’t afford college and got a clerk job in the textbook department at Harper & Brothers publishers. But that led to meeting the head of the Department of Books for Boys and Girls in the cafeteria. And that led to becoming her assistant. And that led to becoming the head of the department four years later in 1940. And that led to many fabulous children’s books being created over the next decades.

The author doesn’t give us a list of books she edited. (I would have liked one in the back, but it surely would have taken up too much space.) Instead, she keeps it interesting for child readers and gives us a story behind the publication of several classics: encouraging Crockett Johnson about Harold and the Purple Crayon, listening to the first line of Goodnight Moon on the phone, laughing with Ruth Krauss over lines for A Hole Is to Dig, and more.

Here’s my favorite spread in that section:

Sometimes Ursula would find a way
to help her writers and artists end their stories.
Like when Maurise Sendak
came to her with a tale about a boy named Max
who goes on a wild stomp of an adventure.

The problem?
Maurice didn’t know how to get Max back home.

“Well, why did Max want to go home?” Ursula asked and asked again.

“Well, he wanted to be where someone loved him best of all,
but he couldn’t really say that,” Maurice said at last.

“Why not?” Ursula asked.

It was the perfect question,
which led to the perfect ending
for Where the Wild Things Are.

I also love the way the author gets across Ursula Nordstrom’s attitude that children need all kinds of books, because there are all kinds of children out there. Indeed, she worked to make good books for bad children.

I was already a fan of Ursula Nordstrom because of reading Dear Genius, a book of her letters collected by Leonard Marcus. I’m happy that now children can learn about this lovely person who made a big difference in the world.

bethkephartbooks.com
chloebristol.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Just One Flake, by Travis Jonker

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Just One Flake

by Travis Jonker

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2023. 48 pages.
Review written October 25, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

First, full disclosure: Travis Jonker is a librarian friend of mine. First, beginning many years ago, I read his 100 Scope Notes blog. Then I got to serve on an ALSC committee with him, which gave me an excuse to say Hello at conferences. I’m happy about his new success as an author, and this book marks his debut as an illustrator as well.

Just One Flake is a simple story of a kid trying to catch one snowflake on his tongue.

I grew up in California — but I still remember trying to do this when I was a 4-year-old — the last year I lived where it snowed (before moving away from California as a young adult). I failed to catch a snowflake on my tongue because it’s just not as easy as it looks.

This book takes that common childhood aspiration, and gets us rooting for little Liam with all the things he tries.

And what more is there to say? He tries, and tries again, thwarted over and over again, with ultimate success — and it just makes for a wonderful winter romp. A sure storytime hit, too.

And one of my favorite things is this line on the copyright page:

Case art by Tom Angleberger, Stephen Barbara, Cece Bell, Betsy Bird, Lauren Castillo, Carter Higgins, Allison Jonker, Colin Jonker, Lina Jonker, Supriya Kelkar, Laurie Keller Minh Lê, Donalyn Miller, James Preller, John Schu, Colby Sharp, Bob Shea, Philip Stead, and Erin Stead. This book wouldn’t exist without all of you. Thank you.

So I checked the case art — the cover of the book underneath the paper cover, and it’s covered with pictures of paper snowflakes! So yes, you can finish your winter storytime with this book by all making paper snowflakes. And sharing snowflakes with friends, as the author did.

This book is one of a kind. Like a snowflake.

100 Scope Notes
abramsbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, by Lisa Yee

Award Winners, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance

by Lisa Yee

Random House, 2022. 276 pages.
Review written February 17, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review
2023 Asian/Pacific American Literature Award Winner, Children’s Literature
2023 Newbery Honor Book
2022 National Book Award Finalist

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance is about a girl who’s spending the summer with her mother at her grandparents’ place in Last Chance, Minnesota. She didn’t know her grandparents before this summer, but her grandfather is very sick, so her mother came to make peace.

In Last Chance, her grandparents run a Chinese restaurant, which has been in the family for more than one hundred years. As Maizy spends time with her Opa, he begins telling her the story of his grandfather, Lucky, and how he came to America and started running this very restaurant. Maizy also does her own research about some pictures up in the restaurant. They turn out to be pictures of “paper sons” who immigrated to America under fake papers, but got help getting on their feet with Lucky in the Golden Palace restaurant.

In the present, Maizy needs to get her bearings and make some summer friends. And then the giant wooden bear that’s been standing in front of the restaurant gets stolen, with a nasty note with racial slurs left in its place. Can Maizy get the bear back and figure out who did it? Maizy also spends time getting to know her grandparents — and writing better fortunes for the fortune cookies that everyone expects in a Chinese restaurant.

This book has a nice weaving together of the past and the present. Lucky’s story is told by Maizy’s Opa in short bits that keep you — and Maizy — wanting more. And she ends up proud of her family and their place in America.

LisaYee.com
rhcbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Yes, And . . ., by Richard Rohr

Christian, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Yes, And . . .

Daily Meditations

by Richard Rohr

Franciscan Media, 2019. 412 pages.
Review written March 21, 2023, from my own copy.
Starred Review

I purchased this book when I was looking for a new devotional book to read through in 2022. Well, there are 366 “Meditations” in this book, but they are not dated. So I took my time. Sometimes I read a page a couple days in a row. And I ended up finishing it a few months into 2023. The advantage, of course, is that you can start reading it at any time.

I chose a book by Richard Rohr because I love his email meditations which I read daily, sent out from the Center for Action and Contemplation. It was nice to have a set I could hold in my hands, because sometimes when I use my phone to read the email meditation, I get distracted.

It’s hard for me to do justice to this book in a summary. The entries were gathered by others from Richard Rohr’s many writings. Action and contemplation, like the name of the Center he founded, is maybe a good way to sum them up. We see thoughts about a life of faith, thoughts about how that looks and how it’s experienced, and what it means to you and to others around you.

I will put a link to my Sonderquotes blog with quotations from Richard Rohr to give you a taste. I also recommend signing up for the daily emails in the link above, and if you like what you read, this book is a way to get more.

Richard Rohr’s writings leave me inspired and encouraged, with my eyes opened to more of the beautiful things God has placed in this life.

cac.org

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of You Go First, written by Ariel Bernstein, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

You Go First

written by Ariel Bernstein
illustrated by Marc Rosenthal

A Paula Wiseman Book (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers), 2023. 48 pages.
Review written July 27, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

This book begins with pictures of many animal-children playing on a playground. Then we zoom in on two of them, happily arriving.

Cat and Duck,
two very good friends,
arrived at the playground.
They wanted to go on the slide.

But then we see that it’s a new slide — and the new slide is very tall and has a chute that loops around twice. Duck is excited, but Cat looks wary.

What follows is Cat making many excuses to put off trying the new slide — because Cat is a very good friend.

When Duck finally uses her own cleverness to let Cat go first, we’ve got a wonderful scene of Cat joyfully going down the slide with a large “WHEEE!”

Duck tells Cat she knew Cat could do it!

Duck was a very good friend.

This story is beautifully paced, with a story of friendship and overcoming fear that all kids can relate to.

I love the way the emotions are not spelled out — but show clearly on the characters’ faces. A wonderful way to discuss feelings with children — and readers will feel clever when they know what is going on.

One of those first exercises in understanding emotions behind things that people don’t say, this book will be a hit in storytimes.

ArielBernsteinBooks.com
Marc-Rosenthal.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Just a Girl, by Lia Levi

Award Winners, Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Historical, Starred Review 0

Just a Girl

A True Story of World War II

by Lia Levi
with pictures by Jess Mason
translated from Italian by Sylvia Notini

Harper, 2022. Originally published in Italy in 2020.
Review written February 24, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review
2023 Mildred Batchelder Award Winner

The Mildred Batchelder Award is given every year to a children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States. It’s given to the publisher, to encourage them to find and translate such books.

Just a Girl is a gently told early chapter book about a terrible time. The author Lia Levi was a girl living in Italy in 1938, having just finished first grade. The book begins as she’s told she won’t be able to go back to school this year, but will have to go to a Jewish school.

As the war progresses in Italy, her father loses his job. They think things will get better after Mussolini is put out of power, but then the Germans come and things get worse. Lia and her sisters have to hide in a convent boarding school and use fake last names.

The author does a good job of telling about bad things, but also reassuring the reader with insertions as her older self. She does acknowledge that she was luckier than many others and does highlight the unfairness of her family being targeted for who they were. And through all of the story, the worries and troubles are punctuated with stories of kids finding ways to have a good time.

And in the last chapter (I don’t think this is a spoiler.), she wrote a letter to a radio station and began with, “I am a Jewish girl.” She was surprised when her mother tore it up.

What terrible mistake could I have made? And even if I had made a mistake, couldn’t we have fixed it?

Mama’s face isn’t serious, though.

Now she’s happily tossing all those bits and ripped-up pieces of paper everywhere as though they were confetti at Mardi Gras.

“You’re not a Jewish girl,” she says, smiling. “You’re a girl. Just a girl.”

What’s this all about? For years now, they’ve been shouting and writing female student of Jewish race next to my name everywhere.

I know perfectly well that the laws against the Jews have been repealed. But what is this about not being a Jewish girl?

Mama laughs.

“You’re mixing things up. Of course you’re still Jewish,” she says. Then her face gets very serious and she tries to explain. “You’re Jewish, but that’s something personal. It doesn’t need to be a label you wear on your forehead. You’re Jewish, you have two sisters, you go to school, you like going to the movies. . . . These are all facts about you. If you want to, you can tell others, but only if you choose to. These facts are no longer of any importance to the State, to the authorities. They have to let you go to school, to the gym, to the library, to your tennis or dance lesson, without saying: she can, but she can’t; he can, but he can’t.”

A lovely story that gives a gentle way for young children to learn about discrimination.

harpercollinschildrens.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Solito, by Javier Zamora, read by the author

Audiobooks, Award Winners, Biography, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review, True Stories 0

Solito

A Memoir

by Javier Zamora
read by the author

Random House Audio, 2022. 17 hours, 8 minutes.
Review written May 2, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2023 Alex Award winner

The Alex Award is for books written for adults that will appeal to teens. Solito is a worthy winner, since in the entire memoir the author is nine years old. It’s the intense subject matter that put this book into the adult market.

Solito is a memoir — and the story of the author’s journey from El Salvador to the United States all by himself in 1999 when he was nine years old. His grandfather took him on the first leg to Guatemala. But then Javier was entrusted to a “coyote,” supposed to be taken safely to Mexico and then the USA to be reunited at last with his parents.

The trip was supposed to be relatively simple, taking a maximum of two weeks. Pretty early on, the plans got messed up. I won’t tell you how many weeks or how many tries it took before he was reunited with his parents, because I don’t want to mess up the suspense — but it was more than one try and much more than two weeks.

The journey was harrowing. In boats, in cars, buses and vans, and on foot through the desert. The author remembers details from a child’s perspective, doing what people told him, and making up names for the desert plants and animals. He is especially grateful to the adults who took him under their wing when plans went terribly awry, pretending he was part of their family to get him safely past officials.

The author doesn’t tell you what to think about the journey. But my reaction is that this is terrible. No child should have to go through such an arduous journey just to have to be with his parents.

But no matter what you conclude, this amazing story will have you riveted and will touch your heart.

javierzamora.net

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Gleanings, by Neal Shusterman

Science Fiction, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Gleanings

Stories from the Arc of a Scythe

by Neal Shusterman

Simon & Schuster, 2022. 426 pages.
Review written February 15, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

Gleanings is a collection of stories that all take place in the world created for the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. Most are written by Neal Shusterman, but some with co-authors.

It’s fabulous that Neal Shusterman has done this — the world of the Scythes is so rich, and so full of philosophical implications. This book explores those implications more fully, with some taking place before the books of the trilogy, some after, and some during the same time period. Characters we are familiar with appear or are mentioned in most of the stories. And we’ve got origin stories of a couple of imposing figures from the trilogy.

Just to review, these books take place in our world — but humanity has overcome death. Instead of governments, the world is governed by the Thunderhead — the result of what happened when “the Cloud” became sentient. The Thunderhead is a benevolent ruler, but since there is no more death (memories and personalities can be downloaded by the Thunderhead), the earth will become overpopulated if nothing is done. Humans decided not to give that responsibility to the Thunderhead, but created a class of Scythes responsible for gleaning a certain percentage of the population. These stories explore what that kind of society would be like, looking at how it would impact individuals — which is somewhat different from the big-picture story of the trilogy.

You won’t want to read these stories as your first introduction to the post-mortal age. If you haven’t read the books yet, check out Scythe immediately. If you have read the trilogy, you’ll be as delighted as I was to explore the world of the Scythes further.

storyman.com
simonandschuster.com/teen

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Girl Who Heard the Music, by Marni Fogelson with Mahani Teave, pictures by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

The Girl Who Heard the Music

How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought Hope New Hope to an Island

words by Marni Fogelson
with Mahani Teave
pictures by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Sourcebooks, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written May 1, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This picture book biography tells the story of Mahani Teave, a girl from Rapa Nui, one of the most remote inhabited islands on earth. They didn’t even have a piano on the island when she was born, but when Mahani was nine, a retired music teacher moved to Rapa Nui with a piano, and Mahani was hooked. She got further lessons after the teacher left, but had to go off the island for more training. She became a concert pianist who performed all over the world.

But an especially inspiring part of her story was that she co-founded a nonprofit which built a music school on the island — built of trash from the nearby ocean!

Although the Rapa Nui School of Music and the Arts was made with tons of trash, it’s powered by nature! Solar panels turn energy from the sun into electricity, and giant barrels hold rainwater for gardens.

So this book is not only the story of a child prodigy, but also a story of fighting for the environment. Rapa Nui is near a place where ocean currents bring trash thrown into the water elsewhere. As well as helping with that mess, the island is working toward being sustainable and waste-free by 2030.

It all adds up to an interesting and inspiring story of a kid who started with a love of music and grew up to help her people and her home.

sourcebookskids.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Together We Swim, written by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Together We Swim

written by Valerie Bolling
illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Chronicle Books, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written September 6, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review
2023 Finalist for the Kirkus Prize

I checked out this book because it’s one of two picture books chosen as a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, young readers category. It’s a charmingly perfect book for a youngster learning to swim.

Toes dip.

Side grip.

The text is very simple. Every spread has one or two rhyming couplets, and most of the lines are only two beats long. That simple text goes perfectly with the pictures showing a Black family outing to the pool. Dad and big sister are swimming happily. Mom is staying with the little brother. Although he’s Black, he reminds me completely of my own three-year-old nephew. He’s sweet and chubby and a little nervous about this whole thing, decked out in a floatie belt.

After some kicking and floating with a board and a pool noodle — all under Mom’s watchful eyes — he’s ready to do some swimming without the floatie.

There is a little episode:

Sink under,
Small blunder.

But Ma catches him with a

“Don’t fear,
I’m here.”

The story is maybe a little unrealistic in how far the little boy advances in one day, but it builds to swimming and grinning, with the whole family celebrating. And finishes with a warm family hug and heading home.

Filled with pride,
Off I stride.

A truly delightful picture book about a scary but satisfying accomplishment and a wonderful supportive family that helps it happen.

valeriebolling.com
kaylanijuanita.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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